Wait::
by TSWarwick
Summary: She woke up in a gray, dead street with only her name and a sapphire pendant. She knows she has to search for someone, but who? Cold and alone, only one person can unlock her memories. M for language, violence and some mature situations in a few chapters.
1. One

Wait : One (Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE)

Disclaimer: Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE and XXXHolic are not mine. I do not own any part of them; plot, characters, artwork, concept, or otherwise. All of that belongs to CLAMP. All I own are the OCs in this story and my own small, added plotline. Don't waste my time by harassing me. If you don't like the story, don't read it. It's as simple as that. I'll do my best to stay in character. Suggestions and reviews are always accepted. Thanks. –GoldenToxin

"Hey, watch where you're going," a tall kid on a bicycle yelled in frustration before peddling on in haste, splashing Matsu with muddy rainwater. Matsu sighed habitually, wiping off her face, and returned her gaze to the sidewalk. By now, the gutters where she usually walked were full of water, and she paced slowly on the concrete. Matsu was in no hurry to get home, and she took her time, almost wandering aimlessly in an attempt to stall for a little more time to herself. The wind began to pick up, and she lost her grip on her umbrella. The umbrella lifted up a few feet into the air and Matsu's eyes lifted from the ground once more.

"Wait," she cried out. Her voice was quiet and meek, as if she hadn't talked in a long time. Matsu dashed after the blue umbrella as it soared always just out of reach. It finally landed in the front yard of a peculiar looking house. Matsu hesitated at the gate. It looked like it was locked, but when she nudged it, the gate began to open. Matsu shrank down out of embarrassment, and looked all around her before pushing the gate open and running onto the grass. She reached for her umbrella when it was picked up again by the wind. "Oh no," she quavered, almost a hiss, "You come back here!" Matsu pushed her hair out of her face and began to give chase again when the front door of the house opened. The umbrella blew right up to the door and a boy about her age grabbed the umbrella before it could go any farther.

"Is this yours?" he asked. Matsu nodded in response and took a few steps forward.

"I didn't mean to intrude," Matsu said quietly, "The wind just caught my umbrella, and I was just going to grab it…"

"Don't worry," the boy smiled, handing Matsu the umbrella as she finally came close enough. "This isn't private property, it's a sh-"

"Watanuki," a woman's voice asked from inside, "What are you doing? You're supposed to be making me dinner!"

"Dinner can wait," Watanuki snapped at the voice inside.

"But I'm so hungry…" the female voice whined childishly.

"Hungry, hungry!" two other voices came chiming. Watanuki sighed.

"You're completely drenched," Watanuki observed, ignoring the voices. "Why don't you come in for a second? I can get you something to drink." He smiled warmly at Matsu.

"I-I don't know," Matsu said, trembling from the cold. "I think I should go home." She sneezed, and Watanuki stared at her like a father might stare at a daughter.

"You're coming inside; you'll catch a cold if you stay wet!" With that, Watanuki pushed the door open all the way and ushered Matsu in.

Once inside, Matsu couldn't help but look all around her in amazement. The place was full of strange things, some looked ancient and others looked like things you might find at a toy shop. She took a step forward and slipped on the now wet floor, falling onto her back before Watanuki could catch her. She sat up and sighed before Watanuki helped her up.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

"I'm fine, it happens a lot," Matsu confessed. Watanuki led her though a hallway to a doorframe. Matsu passed through a curtain of beads and came upon a tall, thin woman laying on a couch leisurely. Two young girls were at her side.

"Ah," the woman said, intrigued, "Who is this, Watanuki?"

"This is…ah…" Watanuki turned to Matsu. "I'm sorry, I forgot to ask. What is your name?"

"M-M-Matsu Shirakane," Matsu stuttered before sneezing again.

"Shirakane-san is cold and wet, so I brought her in to get her something warm to drink. I'll be back," Watanuki said. The two young girls leapt up and followed Watanuki out of the room, leaving the lady and Matsu to themselves. The lady stared curiously at Matsu.

"I'm sorry to have invaded," Matsu apologized. "My umbrella flew into your yard, and I just went in to get it back. I-I think I broke the lock on your gate, because when I touched it…it opened…I'm so sorry!" Matsu bowed low. The lady got up and tipped Matsu's chin up.

"There's no reason to be sorry," the woman said gently. "My name is Yuko Ichihara. This is a shop. The fact that you came in here means you have a wish, and I can grant it." Matsu looked up with scared eyes.

"You grant wishes?" she whispered, obviously convinced.

"Yes. This is a shop. I grant wishes for a reasonable price. You have a wish. What is it?" Matsu swallowed hard.

"I…" She blushed. "I want for a lot of things," she admitted quietly.

"Nothing is too much," Yuko smiled. "But I warn you, the greater the wish, the higher the price."

"Price isn't an object," Matsu said. "My father and mother are very rich people. I…I want friends; friends who will look after me, and friends who I can help, too. I want to find the person I'm destined to love, and I want to find people who understand me. But most of all…" Matsu closed her eyes and frowned. Matsu's voice raised for the first time with a hint of passion: "Most of all, I want to get away from this place!" Hot tears fled her eyes like a summer storm and Matsu cried quite silently.

"Shirakane-san, I brought some tea," Watanuki said from down the hall, announcing himself.

"Tea, tea!" the girls yipped excitedly. As they entered the room, Matsu began to dig her nails into the palm of her hand. She stopped crying immediately and she wiped her eyes with her hands. Yuko said nothing, though it did not go unnoticed.

Watanuki gave a cup of hot tea to Matsu and smiled, "This should make you feel a lot warmer." Matsu sipped at it pensively, ashamed at how loud she'd been a second ago.

"I'm sorry for yelling, Ichihara-san," Matsu mumbled.

"Please, call me Yuko," Yuko said. "And that was hardly yelling." Watanuki looked at Yuko.

"You were being a pushy salesman again, weren't you?" he asked helplessly. Yuko grinned. Watanuki turned back to Matsu. "Why don't you follow me? You can sit in the kitchen and I'll get you a towel for your hair." He led the way, seating Matsu before dashing off again to get a towel.

"Now," Yuko said to Matsu, "All of those wishes you just asked for, I can grant, but it will require the most compensation possible."

"How much?" Matsu asked. "I can pay anything…" Yuko touched Matsu's face gently.

"In order for me to grant such a wish, I have to ask for the greatest price I've had since three customers I had a while ago." Watanuki seemed to tense up. "Tell me, Matsu-chan, what is most important to you?"

"I…" Matsu thought hard. Watanuki returned with a fluffy pink towel and handed it to Matsu. "Here, dry your hair off, that way you don't get sick later on."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Matsu asked, drying her hair off.

"You seemed depressed. Besides, is it a bad thing for a human being to care about another human being?"

"I guess not," Matsu shook her head. She finished drying off and whispered to Yuko, "Most important to me…my parents, maybe…my…my memories." Matsu put a hand to her heart. "Even though my life hasn't been the greatest, I treasure the memories I have, because they're the one thing in this world I can be certain about." Matsu looked surprised at herself.

"I have no choice," Yuko smiled. "Your payment will be all of your memories up to this point in time. You will not know anything about yourself or other people, about the places you've been and the things you want. If you relinquish these, I'll send you to a place where you can meet all the people you told me about just a moment ago." Matsu looked confused. "So, what will it be, Matsu-chan?"

"Friends…friends will pay for themselves in time," Matsu whispered. "I'll take your offer." Yuko looked pleased.

"Because I like you so much, I'll give you a gift," Yuko smiled. "When you give away your memories, I'll seal them in this." Yuko gently grabbed a pendant that was around Matsu's neck; a silver chain with a large, dark sapphire on the end. "When you meet the person you are meant to be with, they will be able to see your memories. You will never get them back, but your 'fated one' will be able to see your past."

"O-oh," Matsu said, "I'll give you this then…" Matsu reached in her pocket and pulled out a small ring. It was made of gold and speckled with amber-colored stones. "I found this a few years ago…it has been a kind of good-luck charm for me, but it won't really be of any use to me anymore." Yuko took the ring and smiled.

"I knew I liked you for a reason," she smiled. "Now, let me see that pendant again." Matsu held out her necklace and closed her eyes as Yuko grasped the sapphire.


	2. Two

Wait : One (Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE)

Disclaimer: Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE and XXXHolic are not mine. I do not own any part of them; plot, characters, artwork, concept, or otherwise. All of that belongs to CLAMP. All I own are the OCs in this story and my own small, added plotline. Don't waste my time by harassing me. If you don't like the story, don't read it. It's as simple as that. I'll do my best to stay in character. Suggestions and reviews are always accepted. Thanks. –GoldenToxin

Author's Note: Thank you so much for the review, animechick247! :3 I'm pleased to say that it is one of the two you mentioned…but I'll never tell. wink You'll have to wait and find out. Next time perhaps I'll give you all a link to Matsu's picture and a short, author's reference profile. Matsu-chan, who is one of my favorite OCs, will hopefully continue to be an anti-Sue. Enjoy part two!

WARNING: This part contains mild suggestive themes and a few uses of what could be considered "coarse" language.

Matsu opened her eyes. She was standing in a strangely decorated room with four people in it. She looked around, confused. "Keep this safe," a lady in front of her said, grabbing Matsu's hands and wrapping them around the sapphire on a necklace.

"Who am I?" Matsu asked tentatively.

"Your name is Matsu Shirakane. Who you are is up to you." The lady took a step back. "I am going to send you to another world. When you get there, you must seek out a group of three boys, a girl, and a small white creature named Mokona. Remember Matsu-chan, nothing is coincidence!" A white circle formed around Matsu and she felt like she was melting into the air, an overall pleasant feeling. Her fingers clasped the sapphire necklace tightly and when she was able to see again she was standing on a bridge. It was dark out and a chill ran through Matsu's body.

"This is so strange," Matsu said, shaking her head. "I can't remember anything…" She began to walk along the dark city streets. The place she was in now was completely urbanized. Apartment buildings stood in uneven rows winding all around the outskirts of a terribly busy inner-city. There was a large tower in the center of the city, built in the shape of an office building. Every single building was structured by a lonely gray-colored brick that added to the already overwhelming atmosphere of doubt and depression. The only sign of life was a lonely pigeon sitting in the street in front of Matsu; a dirty, gloomy thing with a chunk of its tail missing. It cooed pathetically and flew off, leaving Matsu alone again.

Matsu wasn't sure how long she had walked, when she heard voices ahead of her. She heard at least two different male voices and she became slightly hopeful. 'Maybe that's the group I'm supposed to be looking for,' she thought. Matsu walked quickly across the bridge and two men came into view. They were incredibly skinny and both had black hair and gaunt features. One of them looked at Matsu.

"Hey, look Kennet," he said with a sneer, "What a cutie." Matsu stopped walking. A shiver ran down her spine.

'On second thought,' she thought to herself. She began to back up and the two men approached her.

"Hey girl, where're you going? My name is Lien, and this is Kennet. You shouldn't be out alone so late at night."

"Hey," the other one, Kennet, said, "Do you need a place to stay? We could bring you to our place…"

"N-no thanks," Matsu whispered. She looked down.

"Come on," Lien whispered suavely, "I'm sure it'll be all right." He smirked deviously and Matsu began to back away a little faster. Kennet suddenly darted towards her and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Let's go," he urged. Matsu screamed and turned tail, running for the first time in years. She fell short of breath quickly and dashed into an alleyway, hoping the darkness would cover her. She dashed to the back and ducked beneath a large trash container.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," Lien's hoarse voice came. "I don't bite…hard." The two boys laughed and Matsu shrunk down, beginning to tremble. She felt a sneeze coming on and she covered her nose. As she lost it, she sighed, right before it came back and she sneezed loudly. The boys approached her rapidly and grabbed her by the waist, dragging her out of the alley. Kennet covered her mouth with his hand, and Matsu bit it in desperation.

"Ouch, damn it," Kennet cursed. Matsu screamed loudly and Lien slapped her. She cried, but once again her tears and sobs were silent.

"I heard it from over here," a girl's voice came. The voice sounded concerned and kind and from behind there were several other voices and the sounds of rapid footsteps. As Lien threw Matsu to the ground she screamed out again.

"Hey," a male voice said, "What's going on over there?" The footsteps became closer and a faint streetlight revealed a small group of people. Matsu looked up at them.

"Damn it," Kennet cursed again.

"I'll take care of this," a deep male voice from the group came. Into the light came a tall, broad figure. It was a boy who appeared to be in his late teens or early twenties. He was dressed all in black and had a red headpiece. He had dark black hair and narrow, blood-colored eyes. His complexion seemed frustrated. "Hey," he said to the men holding Matsu down, "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"It's none of your business," Lien snapped defensively.

"Do I look like I care? Get off the girl."

"Ooooo," a male from the group in the shadows giggled, "Now you've made Kuro-tan angry."

"Shut your mouth," the man in black snarled back. He turned back to the two boys and drew a long, elegant sword. Without a word he slashed at the two boys. At first, no damage seemed to be done. Lien stood up.

"So that's all? You didn't eve hit u-" Blood spurt from his arms and chest. He cried out as large, deep gashes revealed themselves on his body. "Let's get out of here," he screeched. The two boys dashed off into the night.

Matsu looked up at her rescuer. He smirked triumphantly and sheathed his sword. The group walked into the light. In it were two other males; a tall, slim blond boy who appeared to be in his early twenties, and a much younger looking boy with brown hair and brown eyes. The girl who had cried out earlier looked the same age as the youngest boy. Her dirty blonde hair was strewn all across her face from running, covering her moss-green eyes. Also with them was a small white creature with large ears.

The tall blonde helped Matsu up and smiled, "Are you all right?" Matsu nodded.

"I think so," she whispered.

"Thank goodness," the girl sighed. "I was so worried when I heard you scream…" She hugged Matsu, who was surprised and fell over. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" the girl screeched, holding her hands up to her face cutely. "I must be heavy!" She released her grip on Matsu and smiled gently. "My name is Sakura. What's yours?"

"M-Matsu Shirakane."

"I'm so glad you're safe, Matsu-chan. These here are my friends, Mokona, Syaoran-kun, Fai-san, and Kurogane-san." Matsu looked up at them all. All but Kurogane smiled at her.

"Kurogane…sama…" Matsu whispered. "Thank you." Kurogane looked away from her. Suddenly, the red gem on Mokona's head gleamed, and a vision of the lady Matsu first met appeared.

"Yuko-san," Sakura cheeped.

"Ah, excellent," Yuko smiled, "Matsu-chan found you all. How are you doing?"

"You-you sent her to us?" Syaoran asked.

"Well, of course," Yuko grinned. "I expect you'll all look after her. She'll be traveling with all of you now." Everyone looked mildly shocked. "Don't worry," Yuko smiled, "She can help you search for Sakura's feathers, and I'm sure she won't be a bother."

"Why do we have to take her with us?" Kurogane asked.

"Because, it involves her wish."

"What did she have to give up?" Kurogane asked again, sounding more and more annoyed.

"That's not for me to tell," Yuko winked. "Good luck." With that, the vision disappeared.

"Welcome to the group, Matsu-san," Fai smiled generously. Sakura helped Matsu up.

"What did you have to give the witch to come with us?" Kurogane asked. "Why?"

"You haven't been this interested in anything, Kuro-run," Fai smiled. "I wonder what's different."

"Kuro-run's in love, Kuro-run's in love," Mokona chanted.

"I am not, you little white thing!!" Kurogane snarled.

"I…um…I don't remember," Matsu admitted quietly. "All she told me was to take good care of this." Matsu lifted up her sapphire necklace.

"That's beautiful," Sakura said in awe.

"Let's go back to the hotel," Fai suggested, "It's getting late, and I don't want to get involved in any more fights." Syaoran nodded in agreement.

"We could all use a good night's rest," he said, sounding relieved. "Tomorrow we have to search for Sakura's feather."

"Another day, another feather!" The company began to walk towards the bridge Matsu first appeared on.

"I'm really glad you're coming with us," Sakura smiled at Matsu. "It'll be great to have another girl around." Matsu didn't say anything. What had she given up to travel with this group of strange people? Her memories? Had her precious memories been so easy to give away to go along with strangers she had no knowledge of?

'I wonder what will become of me,' Matsu thought as they approached the hotel.


	3. Three

Wait : Three (Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE)

Disclaimer: Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE and XXXHolic are not mine. I do not own any part of them; plot, characters, artwork, concept, or otherwise. All of that belongs to CLAMP. All I own are the OCs in this story and my own small, added plotline. Don't waste my time by harassing me. If you don't like the story, don't read it. It's as simple as that. I'll do my best to stay in character. Suggestions and reviews are always accepted. Thanks. –GoldenToxin

Author's Note: Not quite done with a picture yet, but it will come soon. After the first five chapters are up, I don't think I'll be able to update as quickly, unless I am forced into writing more. :stares into space and sighs: And I have a new game, so I'll probably be addicted for the next few weeks. Uh-oh. By the way, as for the question from animechick247, they are in a world called Euria right now. It's a filthy, nasty polluted urban world. Kind of like downtown Denver, with an ocean :D (Not dissing on Denver; sadly that is the truth.)

Matsu entered the room her new friends led her to. It wasn't spacious, and they all squeezed together for space. "So, Matsu-san," Fai smiled, "What brings you traveling with us?"

"I don't know," she whispered meekly.

"Do you remember anything?" he asked. Matsu shook her head no. "Hmm," Fai smiled, "That is strange."

"Mokona knows, Mokona knows!" Mokona shouted happily. Everyone turned to Mokona. "Matsu-chan gave up her memories to Yuko so she could travel with us! Is Mokona right?"

"It certainly seems to fit," Fai agreed.

"But what's so important about traveling with us?" Syaoran asked. "Do you think Matsu-san had only bad memories?"

"That can't be it," Sakura smiled sadly. "Memories are really precious things. Even if they're bad, don't you think it's better than not even knowing what made you who you are?"

"What do you think, Matsu-san?" Fai asked. Matsu said nothing, but continued to stare at the floor. She closed her eyes to think when a wave of exhaustion fell over her. Unable to even reopen her eyes, Matsu collapsed on the floor.

"Oh my gosh," Sakura squealed, "Is she okay?!" Fai placed a hand on Matsu's head.

"She's fine, just tired."

"Matsu is really sad, isn't she?" Mokona asked.

"I think so," Fai said. "But I'm sure she'll be fine. …Don't you think so, Kuro-run?" Kurogane stared venomously at Fai, whose smile grew to an impossible size. "Well, Kuro-woof?"

"Enough with the nicknames," Kurogane snarled.

"We should put her in a bed," Sakura said kindly. "Matsu-chan must be exhausted." Syaoran nodded in agreement and helped Sakura move her onto one of the beds in the room. "We should all go to bed," Sakura yawned. "I feel really tired myself. We can look for the feather tomorrow."

"That should be fine," Fai nodded. "See you in the morning!"

Matsu's dreams were littered with horrifying images of shadows and the cold, lonely ground of the city. It was not a restful sleep, and yet she could not wake up from it until morning, when a cold ray of sunlight glared in at her through a dirty window. Matsu opened her eyes to find everyone still asleep. She looked around and familiarized herself with everyone's face, trying to remember all of their names. When she succeeded, the sun was a little bit higher and Syaoran stirred. Matsu averted her eyes and stared at the floor. When Syaoran had fully awoken, Matsu could feel his curious stare burning through her.

"Matsu-san, what are you looking at?" Matsu didn't answer, but a faint blush arose on her pale cheeks. "You're always looking at the ground, aren't you?" he smiled gently. "You can look up, you know." Matsu hesitated, then slowly rose her head. She didn't meet Syaoran's gaze, but now stared at his neck to avoid looking into his eyes. "You have very strangely colored eyes," Syaoran remarked, sounding mildly interested. "They're kind of a gray-blue, huh? But they're a rather soft hue, instead of a hard gray like one usually sees in eyes." Moments passed in silence, and Matsu knew she was making Syaoran uncomfortable, but she still couldn't bring herself to say anything. Finally, Fai and Kurogane roused themselves and stared at the silent Matsu, then to Syaoran, who gave a defeated smile and shrugged his shoulders.

"Good morning," Fai said in a floaty voice. "You all look a lot better, especially you, Kuro-pon." Kurogane was silent, but his left eyebrow twitched impatiently. "Oooooh," Fai grinned, "What an interesting habit, Kuro-pii." The eyebrow twitched a little more and Fai couldn't help but give a satisfied giggle at this new thing to tease.

"Fai," Mokona, who was now awake, asked, "Do you think that if you tease Kurogane any more he'll explode?"

"Oh," Sakura, also awake, squealed, "That would be awful!" Sakura turned to Matsu. "Oh, Matsu-chan! You're awake! Do you feel any better?" Matsu gave a half-hearted little cough and said nothing. "Are you sick?" Matsu shook her head.

"I'm okay," she said in her usual hushed tone.

"That's good to hear," Sakura smiled. "Syaoran-kun, where shall we look for the feather today? We've been all over the east and south parts of town."

"We should try north of here," Syaoran suggested. Sakura nodded.

"We can pick up some lunch for today in the market; I hear that north of here there is a beach! We can all have a picnic!" She looked at Matsu. "We can get you some clothes, too, Matsu-chan!" Matsu looked down at her clothing. She was dressed in a white blouse with a blue ribbon tied underneath the collar and a long blue skirt. Her clothes were a bit dirty from the other night, and rumpled from sleeping in them.

"Syaoran-kun," Fai asked, "Do you have the money Sakura-san won last night?" Syaoran nodded. "I think it should be more than enough to buy lunch and some clothes for Matsu-san." Matsu looked up, blushing.

"You don't have to get me anything," Matsu managed to say quickly. "I'll be fine."

"No," Fai shook his head, "We can't let you wander around in dirty clothes, after all. It's fine, Matsu-san." Matsu looked down again and mumbled her gratitude in a 'no-really-you shouldn't-have' tone of voice.

Before long, the group set out into the smoggy, urban world of Euria. As they wandered by a strip mall, they stopped to buy some food and clothes. "Sakura-san and Kuro-meow, you should help Matsu-san pick out some clothes," Fai smiled. "Me, Mokona and Syaoran-kun will go get some food." Sakura nodded enthusiastically and Kurogane followed her and Matsu without complaint. Once inside, Sakura dashed about the store in a wild frenzy gathering clothes and flinging them into Matsu and Kurogane's hands. After this was done, Matsu tried on outfit after outfit of Sakura's picks. Most of the outfits were long pants and hoodies that were beat up but rather cute with Matsu's soft look.

"I don't mean to sound rude, but, isn't there anything a bit more feminine, or at least somewhat _decent_?" Matsu squeaked nervously. Sakura looked through the pile of clothes.

"I think this is about as feminine as these clothes get," Sakura said, handing a lump of attire to Matsu. Matsu looked through them and went in the back to change once again. When she came out, she was dressed in a black corset top and fishnet sleeves only on her lower arms, a velvet choker, heavy metal belts, and a pink skirt with black trim over a pair of baggy black pants adorned sporadically with zippers and large pockets. "That's so cute," Sakura squealed. "What do you think, Kurogane-san?" Kurogane grunted unintelligibly in response. Matsu covered her torso with crossed arms and blushed a deep scarlet.

"Can't we get a different top?" 'I feel like a creep,' Matsu thought miserably.

"Matsu-san, you look cuuuuuute!" came Fai's unmistakable voice from behind her. "I have just the thing for you!" Fai pulled two black ribbons with little white skulls printed on them from his pocket and tied them around the base of Matsu's pigtails.

"Let's hurry so we can get out of this world," Kurogane growled, obviously losing his patience. Half-dragging Matsu to the counter, Syaoran paid the cashier and they went out into the city to search for Sakura's feather.


	4. Four

Wait : Four (Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE)

Disclaimer: Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE and XXXHolic are not mine. I do not own any part of them; plot, characters, artwork, concept, or otherwise. All of that belongs to CLAMP. All I own are the OCs in this story and my own small, added plotline. Don't waste my time by harassing me. If you don't like the story, don't read it. It's as simple as that. I'll do my best to stay in character. Suggestions and reviews are always accepted. Thanks. –GoldenToxin

Author's Note: I finally finished a rough of the picture, and a short profile: raspberry-wings./art/Matsu-s-Profile-87525649

Thanks for the devotion, animechick247! I hope I can acquire a few more fans. I hope you enjoy this update, I know it's short, I'm sorry. ;;;

Throughout the day, Matsu could feel Kurogane's cold stare on her. She kept to herself as the others looked for their 'feather', whatever that was. Finally, early in the afternoon, the group stopped by the ocean to have lunch. The ocean seemed to be the only part of Euria so far that wasn't polluted somehow. The group sat on the beach and began eating the various sandwiches and cakes bought by Fai, Syaoran and Mokona that morning. A few kids were playing closer to the water, digging in the sand.

"Woah," one of them, a young girl said, "Look at this! It looks like white sand!" Her companion, a boy of the same age, grabbed the clump she'd been looking at.

"That's not sand, it's all clumpy." Mokona jumped into Matsu's arms, except her eyes were wide open. Matsu screamed and fell over.

"Matsu-chan," Sakura asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's eyes," Matsu gasped, "They're huge!"

"That means one of Sakura-san's feathers are nearby," Fai announced.

"Kohta, give it back!" the girl behind them whined. Everyone looked at the two kids playing.

"Why?" Kohta asked, waving the white, sandy clump in his hands, "It's just a stupid feather." Syaoran and Fai raced over to the kids.

"Too bad," Kurogane sighed, "There wasn't a fight this time."

"Do you like to fight, Kurogane-sama?" Matsu asked.

"Yeah, Kuro-rin loves to fight," Mokona said. "He goes like this, this and this and then the fight is over!" Mokona jumped dramatically into the air wielding an invisible sword to demonstrate. Mokona jumped back into Matsu's arms and sighed, "Mokona is tired!" Matsu gave a faint smile and wrapped her arms around Mokona.

"Well, that was harder than I expected," Syaoran sighed, holding the feather up. "I had to give them money."

"It doesn't matter though," Fai said, "We won't be using that money in the next world, anyways." Syaoran nodded and handed the feather to Sakura, where it was absorbed into her.

"Well, that's one more memory fragment down," Syaoran said. "We can go now, Mokona." Mokona nodded and hopped out of Matsu's arms.

"Puu!" Mokona said, and sucked everyone into its mouth as a glowing magical circle formed underneath her.

The company landed in an exquisite enclosed garden. "Wow," Sakura gasped, "It's so beautiful here!"

"Hello?" a voice cried out. "Is anyone out there?" Everyone tensed up as a tall blonde woman appeared from behind a bush. "Oh, my," she said as she came upon the travelers. Matsu expected the woman to get angry and order them out of the garden, but the woman's face became shocked. "You're all _filthy_! Your clothes are also strange,…are you foreigners, perhaps?" She suddenly waved her hands and shook her head. "Oh how silly of me, of course you are. Follow me, and I'll lead you all to the baths and get you some nice, fresh clothes." Everyone looked at each other.

"Thank you so much," Sakura said. "What's your name?"

"Oh, I'm Miss Mena. I'm a lady-in-waiting here. The princess told me that we would have some visitors, and that I'd find them in the garden. Oh, but you're not getting any cleaner standing here, let's go!" Mena led the wary group into a castle and into a lavish bathroom. There were two large baths with warm water and bubbly soap, and sculptures arranged throughout the room. Large, fluffy towels were spread around the edge of the baths and baskets to put dirty clothes in. "Now," Mena smiled, "You can all take a bath and I'll be back with clothes for you all. Please, take your time."

"Please thank the princess for us," Syaoran said. Everyone stared around uncomfortably for a minute before Syaoran asked, "And, um, are we all to take our baths here? In the same room, I mean?"

"Of course," Mena said, looking confused. "You truly _are_ foreigners, aren't you?" She smiled again and left, closing the door behind her.

Within seconds of Mena leaving, it was decided that, in the interest of time, everyone would take baths at the same time as Mena had said, however Kurogane, Syaoran and Fai were to stay in the left bath and the girls in the right. 'This is so humiliating,' Matsu thought to herself as she stripped and quickly got into the water. 'At least I won't have to wear that low-cut top again,' she quickly reminded herself. She sighed and sunk into the water. The baths went quickly for everyone and they wrapped towels around themselves as they waited for Mena to return. A few minutes later she arrived carrying a bundle of clothing. She laid them out for everyone.

"I hope they fit," Mena smiled, "I couldn't take exact measurements, so hopefully these will suit you. When you're dressed, come into the hallway; I'll be waiting for you there." The boys were all given long, black dress pants and a white collared shirt with thin black coats. Sakura and Matsu were given beautiful, form-fitting pink and white dresses adorned with lace, a frilly choker and long gloves. When they walked out, Mena was waiting for them. "Follow me, and I'll lead you to the princess." Everyone followed Mena into a large throne room. On an ivory throne in the center of the back wall sat a small, rather mousy looking girl with short, dark brown hair and hazel eyes. She was dressed in a splendid white gown with amber jewels.

"Hello," she said sweetly, "I am princess Rona. Welcome to the world of Fedan."


	5. Five

Wait : Five (Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE)

Disclaimer: Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE and XXXHolic are not mine. I do not own any part of them; plot, characters, artwork, concept, or otherwise. All of that belongs to CLAMP. All I own are the OCs in this story and my own small, added plotline. Don't waste my time by harassing me. If you don't like the story, don't read it. It's as simple as that. I'll do my best to stay in character. Suggestions and reviews are always accepted. Thanks. –GoldenToxin

Author's Note: Last time I attempted to add a link to Matsu's profile and picture. Sadly, this website hates me and did not allow me to post it. So, it will be in my profile (GoldenToxin). Thank you for the understanding! Another short one, I apologize. I'll try to make them a tad longer.

"We're very thankful for such kind treatment," Syaoran said, "But why are you being so generous?"

"I had a dream," Rona said, "That you would come here, and you were being sent by the Time-Space Witch. It so happens that I owe her a large favor, so I am going to watch over you during your stay in Fedan. Please feel free to wander through the castle as much as you like, and if you wish to go into town I'll have a carriage arranged for you. This is the home of my uncle Gestanto, and I am only visiting here myself, but I assure you I have a higher authority and if there is something you wish, simply tell me. Ah, before I forget, what are your names?"

"My name is Syaoran," he said, "And these are Sakura-chan, Matsu-san, Kurogane-san, Fai-san and Mokona."

"Glad to meet you all," the princess smiled. "Dinner will be served in a few hours, so please make yourself at home until then. Miss Mena will show you to your rooms." Mena bowed low before her princess and led the group up a flight of stairs to a hallway with several rooms.

"There are several empty rooms on this floor, so please pick whichever you want. I'll have servants bring your clothes up after dinner. The dining hall is just past the throne room." That being said, Mena left, and everyone got themselves into their own room, except for Mokona, who went with Fai. Matsu smiled shyly as she looked in the mirror. 'This dress is amazing,' she thought, blushing. 'This is much better than that other outfit.' Matsu looked around her room and then sat down on the lavish bed to relax. She fingered the pendant on her necklace curiously, wondering what it was. Laying down, she undid her hair and laid down for a quick nap.

Matsu awoke to the sound of a bell chiming, signifying that it was dinner time. She quickly up her hair back up and hurried downstairs to greet her friends. "Good evening," Fai smiled sweetly. He sat down next to Matsu and asked her how she was doing.

"I'm doing fine," she said in a slightly monotone voice. "Thank you for asking." She sighed deeply to herself and Rona, who was sitting at the head of the table, Mena to her left. Rona clapped her hands and food was brought out.

"My uncle could not join us tonight," the princess smiled, "So it will just be all of you, miss Mena and myself." They began to eat the strange delicacies of Fedan, and the dinner was slow and relaxed. As Matsu ate, she began to observe her friends, and discovered that everyone, even Kurogane, showed signs of kindness and compassion, all with their own flare. Matsu smiled to herself and touched her pendant, wondering what was so special about it.

That evening, as Matsu wandered upstairs to go to sleep, she overheard a man talking with another man. "…Yes, I assure you sir, this will give you the power you need."

"What a strange staff," the other voice admitted. "You had better hope on your life you are correct this time, Valk." Matsu drew a breath and then slowly and quietly headed to her room. She fell asleep and in the morning at breakfast Rona introduced a large, stout man well into his forties.

"This is my uncle, Gestanto," she said, "And it is he who so graciously hosts us here."

"Princess, please," the uncle said, "I don't deserve all of that thanks." Matsu sat up in her chair as if she'd been stuck by a bolt of lightning. Kurogane raised an eyebrow at her. Matsu looked embarrassed.

"Um," she explained quietly, "I just became quite nauseous. If you would excuse me, please." Matsu got up quickly and dashed out of the room, tripping over herself many times out of the dining hall. Matsu breathed hard once into the hallway.

"What are you doing back here?" a dark voice asked. Matsu turned quickly to see a handsome young man with long, dark hair and dark blue eyes. Matsu gasped. "Oh," he thought aloud, "You must be one of the guests here. Be careful, there are rumors that this castle is enchanted." The boy smirked and then went on his way. Matsu felt faint. She heard another pair of footsteps and flinched, but it was only Fai.

"F-Fai-san," she breathed, nearly fainting.

"Matsu-san," he smiled, "Are you all right? You left in such a hurry I didn't have time to ask you."

"It's just, Rona-sama's uncle, I heard him talking last night! He was talking about getting power. …I, I think it might be connected to Sakura-san's feather!"


	6. Six

Wait : Six (Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE)

Disclaimer: Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE and XXXHolic are not mine. I do not own any part of them; plot, characters, artwork, concept, or otherwise. All of that belongs to CLAMP. All I own are the OCs in this story and my own small, added plotline. Don't waste my time by harassing me. If you don't like the story, don't read it. It's as simple as that. I'll do my best to stay in character. Suggestions and reviews are always accepted. Thanks. –GoldenToxin

Author's Note: I'm sorry; this will be the last of my short ones for a while, I promise! I am also sorry that I haven't updated in a while; I needed some time to figure out where I wanted this story to go. And no; neither Fai NOR Kurogane are interested in Matsu…yet XD Only one of them will be in the end, and as for now Fai is just being friendly, like he is to everyone else. Someone asked me if Syaoran liked her Oo; Uh, no. I'm not that cruel. Thanks for your devotion, animechick247. Forgive my late update! I'll update soon with part seven :3 Enjoy!

Fai looked at Matsu with a smile. "Well we'll have to keep our eyes open." He put hand on her forehead.

"O-oh," Matsu said, blushing, "I was kidding about being sick…"

"That's strange," Fai murmured, "Because you have a bit of a fever anyway. Why don't you go and lie down?" He smiled in a trademark fashion. "I'll keep an eye on Gestanto-san." Matsu nodded and went upstairs to lie down. As soon as she got upstairs, she changed direction and went to take a bath.

Upon entering the room she realized that it was darker than before. The lights were dimmed and she couldn't make out the bath as well. She quietly slipped off the gown she'd been wearing and waded into the pool. She kept walking until it got so deep that she could hardly touch the bottom and she clung off of the edge, thinking to herself. The steam felt good, and she closed her eyes, drifting a little bit…until there was a loud splash. It shocked Matsu and she lost her grip on the wall, falling backwards and plunging into the dark water. She saw the lights getting brighter and she gasped, breathing in water. She heard someone say something and then a hand shot into the water and grabbed her roughly by the wrist. Whoever it was wrenched her out of the water so that the bubbles in the bath were just barely covering her small chest.

"Whoops, too far," a familiar, gruff voice said. Matsu was coughing and found it hard to open her eyes.

"Maybe you can turn her around and try to help get the water out," a second voice said. Matsu could feel herself being steered around by her arm and then there came a hard whack on the back. That time, she nearly gagged, and when the person hit her a second time it was with the cough, forcing most of the water out. She was able to cough the rest out on her own.

"Th-thank you," the shivering Matsu hiccupped, expelling a bubble from her lips. She turned around and winced to see Kurogane and Syaoran. Kurogane let go of her wrist and grumbled.

"We came in for a bath," Syaoran explained, "And I tripped over a bottle that had been lying out. It made a splash in the water and it must have startled you, because we heard another splash. Kurogane-san turned the lights on and we got to you just in time." Matsu blushed and sank down into the water.

"I think I'll go back to my room," Matsu uttered. Syaoran nodded and he and Kurogane turned the other way, walking towards the other pool-sized bath. Matsu quickly got out and wrapped a towel around herself. She grabbed her dress and walked out.

When she got to her room, Matsu didn't bother with the dress. She felt hot and sick. Matsu slipped the towel off onto the floor and crawled into bed, her breathing becoming shallow and labored. Her cheeks turned red and she drifted off into a restless sleep.


	7. Seven

Wait : Seven (Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE)

Disclaimer: Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE and XXXHolic are not mine. I do not own any part of them; plot, characters, artwork, concept, or otherwise. All of that belongs to CLAMP. All I own are the OCs in this story and my own small, added plotline. Don't waste my time by harassing me. If you don't like the story, don't read it. It's as simple as that. I'll do my best to stay in character. Suggestions and reviews are always accepted. Thanks. –GoldenToxin

Author's Note: Yay! A kind of long one! Enjoy the early update! Halfway done with number eight, I'll update soon!

Seven

When Matsu awoke, she felt a little better. Her stomach growled. 'I haven't eaten in a long time,' she thought. She slipped out of bed and realized it was late in the day; some time after noon. The sun was blaring high in the sky outside of her window. She looked around and to her dismay, Matsu could not find the dress she had been wearing, nor her normal or Eurian attire. Suddenly, she spotted another dress on a table near her bed. It was the same style as the first, but a dark green color. She winced, knowing that green looked rather offensive on her. 'Oh well,' she thought, slipping it on, 'It doesn't matter, anyway.' She slowly opened the door and crept outside into the hallway. No one was around. She wandered downstairs, only to find it empty as before. 'Where is everyone?' she thought.

She finally wandered into the dining room, and could smell food from two doors that must have been the kitchen. Her stomach reminded her again that she was hungry, and she shushed it. Matsu turned away, but couldn't help but look painfully back at the kitchen doors. She gave herself a little smack on the cheek and shook her head. She began to walk off when her stomach growled again.

A little irritated, she hissed, "Stop that! I have more important things to do! I can't help it if you're hungry!" Just as she was about to continue walking, laughed rose from behind her.

"You know," a male voice said, "Your stomach isn't going to listen to you." Matsu whipped around to see the boy from before with dark hair and eyes. He smiled deviously. "Pardon me miss, I forgot to introduce myself the other evening. My name is Valk. I am Princess Rona's cousin. Forgive my alarm last night; I'm not used to people just wandering around here." He took her hand and kissed it politely. Matsu began to feel sick again.

'Valk…that's the person Gestanto-san was talking to the other night…oh no…' Matsu withdrew her hand tentatively and hurried along her way, mumbling an apology.

"I wouldn't leave, if I were you," Valk suggested mildly. Matsu kept walking. "Fine," he said casually, "Then I suppose you won't mind if we keep your friends for a little while longer." Matsu stopped dead in her tracks. She was so nervous she was unable to turn around or say anything.

'He knows…where they are…this is bad…'

"Well now," he said. Matsu could feel his breath creeping down her neck. "Let's say I take you to them, hmm?" He put his hands on her shoulders and she knew he was going to lead her away.

"Matsu-san!" Matsu's head snapped up. Fai came walking elegantly up. "Oh, thank goodness you found her," he said to Valk, smiling charmingly. "We were looking all over for you Matsu-san; Sakura-chan told me you might still be asleep, so I was going to check for you. We're all outside." He looked up at Valk, who hesitantly withdrew. Fai put his hand on Matsu's shoulder and guided her outside. Once outside and out of the view of the mysterious Valk, Fai stopped her and knelt down to her eye level. "Matsu-san," he asked, "Are you all right?"

"I…ah…" Matsu trembled and she burst into tears. Fai smiled gently and Matsu grasped his coat, clinging to him as sobs shook her body.

"Hey, what's up with her?" Kurogane's grumpy voice came.

"Someone scared her," Fai replied in a matter-of-fact tone. "I had to get her out of trouble."

"Was it that black-haired guy again?" Kurogane asked. Fai and Matsu both looked up in surprise.

"How did you know about him?" Matsu asked.

"I've seen him around. Sneaky little weasel. He's been talking to the uncle, so I've been keeping watch on them. If my suspicions are correct, they have some kind of staff or the like with Sakura-san's feather in it. Just last night I found out that they plan to take over Rona-sama's rule." No one bothered asking why he didn't tell anyone. Fai stood up and led Matsu and Kurogane over to Syaoran, Sakura and Mokona. Fai explained what had been going on.

"And you think Gestanto-san has my feather?" Sakura asked quietly.

"It all fits," Fai said. "And little Matsu-san here found it out!" Sakura looked up.

"Is that true, Matsu-chan?" Sakura asked. Matsu looked down and blushed. Sakura's eyes lit up and she hugged Matsu, who squeaked. Red filled her face and Sakura smiled. "Thank you so much, Matsu-chan! You're wonderful!" Matsu nearly fainted.

"R-really, it was just an accident," she murmured.

"Accident or no," Kurogane half-growled, "We have some information."

"Ohh I know," Fai smiled, "We should all take a bath and talk about it there, so we won't be disturbed! Right, Kuro-phy?" Kurogane sneered.

"A bath sounds nice," Sakura admitted, "I wasn't able to take one last night. I fell asleep again…" Syaoran smiled.

"Then let's all go."

In the baths, they arranged as before with the boys in one pool and the girls in another. They asked questions and finally began to come to conclusions.

"So," Syaoran said, "It sounds like the feather is inside a staff that Valk-san gave to Gestanto-san?" Fai nodded.

"That's what it sounds like. But then, wouldn't Mokona have reacted to it?"

"Mokona did react," Mokona whined, "but no one paid attention!" Syaoran sighed.

"So we missed it again," he said. "This has happened a few times now. We should be more careful." Mokona nodded.

"S-so, what do we do?" Matsu asked nervously.

"Well," Syaoran said, "We should fight Gestanto-san, obviously."

"The logical thing to do is use bait," Kurogane said. Heads turned. "Gestanto-san is obviously out to get us all trapped so his takeover will be easier, so why not let him think he's winning? I say we let someone fall into his hands and be a decoy so that the rest of us can attack."

"I admit it makes sense," Syaoran said carefully, "But I don't want to let anyone get hurt. Why don't we send me?" There was a short silence.

"There's no way they would believe it," Kurogane said. "We need someone who looks gullible. Someone pathetic. Someone…" Kurogane looked down and stopped short. A smirk spread across his face. "Ne, Matsu-san…wanna do us a favor?"

"Wait," Sakura protested, "Matsu-chan;…we can't put her in danger like that!"

"It's the most believable thing," Kurogane said. "She was the one who found out in the first place, not to mention she looks completely harmless. If she lets herself be taken in by that Valk guy, then we can easily attack while they're distracted. No harm will come to Matsu-san if I can help it."

'If you can help it,' Matsu thought. She started trembling.

"Is there really no other way?" Sakura asked. "Can't I go?"

"I-I'll do it," Matsu stuttered. Sakura looked at her aghast. "I-I…I trust you," Matsu murmured.

"Good," Kurogane smirked, "Then everything will work out." They finalized plans, split and went to bed. All, that is, except Matsu, who slipped out of her room as they discussed and looked for Valk, pretending to wander around the castle aimlessly. It wasn't long before he found her.

"Good evening," he smirked. Matsu shivered as he touched her shoulder. She was ready to act like a complete fool when he told her he had her friends, and she waited for his words. "You never told me your name," Valk smiled.

"S-Shirakane Matsu." she managed to say.

"Matsu, hmm?" Valk asked. "Well, Matsu…I expect your friends will wonder where you are come morning." Matsu's heart skipped a beat. He wasn't going to lie to her. He was serious. And she had no idea where he was going to take her. Matsu opened her mouth to scream, but it was cut short as Valk struck her over the head. Her world fell to darkness.


	8. Eight

Wait : Eight (Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE)

Disclaimer: Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE and XXXHolic are not mine. I do not own any part of them; plot, characters, artwork, concept, or otherwise. All of that belongs to CLAMP. All I own are the OCs in this story and my own small, added plotline. Don't waste my time by harassing me. If you don't like the story, don't read it. It's as simple as that. I'll do my best to stay in character. Suggestions and reviews are always accepted. Thanks. –GoldenToxin

Author's Note: Unfortunately, my three cousins(all younger than me) have arrived at my house. They are here until the nineteenth (ugh!). Needless to say, it has been hard for me to write at all. My apologies at this being so short, but I did manage to take you out of the pathetic cliffhanger. Enjoy, and I'll update with a REALLY LONG ONE as soon as I can! Thank you so much for your patience! (Teehee, Wait Eight. It rhymes :3)

Eight

Matsu awoke to the sound of someone talking. It was a male voice, and he was saying something over and over again. Finally she was able to hear him.

"Matsu-san. Matsu-san." Whoever it was shook her shoulders lightly. "Matsu-san!" She blinked her eyes open and stared into bright red eyes.

"K-Kurogane-sama!" she stammered. The black-clad ninja was staring over her. She felt cold stone beneath her. "Wh-what happened?"

"Quiet." he said. She closed her mouth. She was laying down on a stone floor and Kurogane was off to one side of her, his hands on her shoulders. It was rather dark, and Matsu could hear shouts and crashing noises. She wanted to ask again what was happening, but Kurogane's stern glare had shut her up for good. After about ten minutes of the racket, everything fell quiet. Finally, there were footsteps. "This decides it," Kurogane said in a hushed tone. A tall, dark figure sauntered up to where the two sat. A smile reflected in the dim light, and Matsu's eyes widened.

'Oh no,' she thought, 'It must be Valk-san! And then-' Her thought was interrupted by a loud obnoxious greeting.

"Kuro-growl!" The air in Matsu's lungs rushed out and she was crushed under Kurogane's weight, along with the added weight of her blonde wizard friend. She struggled and gasped for air. Kurogane threw Fai off with incredible force and stood up right away, leaving Matsu to squeak for air like a crushed hamster. When Matsu was finally able to breathe, she asked again what went on.

"Oh," Fai smiled, "Well, we had Kuro-nin follow you and Valk-san, just to make sure everything went okay. Valk-san took you here, into an underground part of the castle. So Kuro-nin got us all and we followed. Then we fought and Sakura-chan got her feather! They're all waiting now. Come on!"

Fai helped Matsu up and they all headed out. The stone room had a path that lead up some stairs and spilled out into the dining room. There was Sakura, Syaoran, Mokona, Miss Mena and Princess Rona. Sakura's eyes lit up at the sight of Matsu. "Matsu-chan, you're okay!" She hugged Matsu, who stumbled backwards and fell.

"Come on now Matsu-chan," Fai smiled, "I just helped you up!" Sakura laughed.

"Thank you so much for helping me," Princess Rona said with a kind smile. "Why don't you all have something to eat?" Matsu's stomach growled and she smiled sheepishly.

After the meal, while everyone was still seated, Syaoran said, "Thank you so much for everything, Rona hime-sama," he said. "We should probably get going." She nodded and then looked down.

"I think we should tell you the truth before you go," she said. "The truth is…I am not the princess. I am actually Mena; a servant to the real princess. For precautions, I pretended to be royalty while the real princess is actually…"

"That would be me," miss Mena said. She smiled elegantly. "I am Rona."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Syaoran smiled.

Everyone took one last bath and then gathered up their things and went back outside into the garden. Matsu was holding Mokona, who jumped up into the air and spread its wings. "Mokona Modoki cannot wait! Paa kuu!" It sucked everyone into its mouth as they waved goodbye to Rona and Mena, going on to the next world.


	9. Nine

Wait : Nine (Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE)

Disclaimer: Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE and XXXHolic are not mine. I do not own any part of them; plot, characters, artwork, concept, or otherwise. All of that belongs to CLAMP. All I own are the OCs in this story and my own small, added plotline. Don't waste my time by harassing me. If you don't like the story, don't read it. It's as simple as that. I'll do my best to stay in character. Suggestions and reviews are always accepted. Thanks. –GoldenToxin

Author's Note: Okay, two pages worth :3 I hope you enjoy it. As you can see, I've changed my formatting a tinge in hopes it is a bit easier to read. My cousins are gone, so I should be updating more often. Here you go, chapter nine of Wait!

Nine

The group of travelers landed on a bumpy, hard ground in near pitch-black. Matsu landed on something soft, only to find it was Kurogane, who threw her off and muttered, "Little bitch..." under his breath. Syaoran felt around the ground. "These are strange rocks," Kurogane said, touching the hard ground. Suddenly one broke.

"These aren't rocks," Syaoran's voice came, "These are skulls." Matsu felt around her new surroundings and felt dry blood peel off of a skull. She gagged and crawled a few meters away from the group, retching onto the boney heads.

"What if the thing that did this is still around?" Sakura gasped.

Syaoran shook his head, though he knew she couldn't see him. "These are old; and there's no blood on it. Also, skulls are the only thing in here. That means it's most likely not a monster, just some...primitive form of...humanoid life, perhaps?" The sound of Matsu being sick again echoed through the cavern. A sigh of relief came from Sakura.

"At least we don't have to worry about being eaten then, right?" she asked.

"Yes, that's probably true," Syaoran smiled.

"Matsu-chan," Fai asked, walking towards where he had heard her moments ago. "Are you all right? Matsu-chan?"

Matsu looked up. In the dim light she could see Fai looking at her. His face swirled in strange, awkward colors and she collapsed on him. "She vomited so much she fainted," Fai said.

"That isn't good," Syaoran said. "We should try finding a way out." He dug in his coat pocket to a souvenir from a previous land, a beautiful but tarnished silver orb. "Mokona, I need to speak to Yuko-san for a moment."

"Sure, sure Syaoran!" Mokona grinned, bouncing up and down.

Yuko appeared in the hologram-likeness that Mokona created. "Yes, what is it?" she asked with her devious smile.

"I need some form of light," he said, "And I have this in return for it; I thought you might like it."  
"Oooooh, those are rare," Yuko smiled. "I'll give you a light source. Send the orb through Mokona and I'll send you your gift in return." Syaoran gave the orb for Mokona to swallow. She did, and seconds later a rod with a large glowing crystal appeared and illuminated the cave.

"At least that witch is good for something," Kurogane spat, obviously in a fouler mood than usual.

Syaoran nodded. "It's a good thing we have Yuko for things like that. Well, shall we go?"

"Sure" Fai smiled, "I've got Matsu-chan!" They continued to walk and finally there was a flicker of light. The light disappeared and there was a loud swishing noise and Sakura felt a blade against her throat. "Don't move," a light female voice said. Sakura stiffened and inhaled quickly, gasping.

"Sakura hime-sama!" Syaoran snarled. "What's going on?"

"Drop all of your weapons, all of you," the voice commanded. "Do it quickly. If they find outsiders with weapons, you'll be hung before you can say 'thief'."

"That sounds terrible," Kurogane laughed deviously.

"I'm referring to the kind of hanging that will kill you," the voice chuckled. "Now please, I'm not going to ask you again; drop your weapons!"

Kurogane and Syaoran dropped their weapons reluctantly. The girl took the knife away from Sakura's throat and clapped her hands. The cavern was suddenly filled with light, and the girl stood before them before bowing low.

"My name is Chione, and you have arrived at the Cotton, the city of thieves, assassins, gamblers, and drinking. Lotsa drinking." Chione had an exotic look to her. She was 5'6 at least, with short flaming pink hair and deep violet eyes. Her ears resembled a cat's, and a long thin tail extended out of her short tan shorts, which matched her spaghetti-strap tan top that showed most of her midriff. The tail was covered in a spiked metal armor and her arms, legs and neck were covered in protective gold bands. She was toned perfectly and wore large, thick flight goggles above her eyes.

Chione pulled back a black curtain which would have been otherwise seen as a wall, and the city of Cotton was exposed as a large expanse underground city, lighted by green glows.

"Why must we drop our weapons?" Syaoran asked. "Surely a city full of thieves and assassins carry weapons."

Chione laughed; a loud hearty noise. "You'd think that, wouldn't you?" she snorted. "But because you're newcomers, we have to get you registered first. After that, we don't really care what you do. We have very few laws, but one of them is about strangers, and we're strict about it. If someone sees people like you but doesn't do anything about it, we get in just as much trouble. Sorry," she smiled, sticking her tongue out. She picked up their weapons and caught Sakura's timid stare.

"Don't worry," Chione winked, "As long as you're here, I'd be glad to help you. Others...not so much. If you have any form of money on you, I'd be glad to be a bodyguard while you stay here."

"Bodyguard? Don't make me laugh," Kurogane snorted. "I can take care of myself just fine."

"Kurogane-san," Sakura smiled, "I think Chione-san would be wonderful in helping out." She dug in a small purse and handed Chione some money from previous worlds. "I am sorry; I am not sure exactly what kind of money you use…"

Chione counted the money. "We accept all currencies here," she smiled, "Since we're all theives, assassins, well, you get the point."

"You're inter-worldly?" Syaoran asked.

"Bet your cute-ass eyes!" Chione giggled.

Kurogane sighed as Syaoran blushed and Chione led them into the dark city.


End file.
